HAMILTON -- The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have put Jeff Mathews on the injured list, which means either Jacory Harris or Jeremiah Masoli are likely to start in Week 20. The Ticats battle for first place with the Ottawa REDBLACKS on Saturday afternoon.

Harris and Masoli split reps at practice with the first team on Tuesday morning but no confirmation has been given on who will start the deciding tilt at TD Place. Masoli has spent the last three seasons with the Ticats organization while Harris has been with the team for parts of two years.

“The thing that’s helped Jacory is that he’s been with us for a while now and he’s absorbed a lot. He’s smart,” said head coach Kent Austin. “But Jacory’s not necessarily our quarterback. We split reps today… so we haven’t made that decision yet.

“We needed to split reps to get guys as much play time on the field with the first unit as we can depending on which way we go. Jacory is like Jeremiah and others that have been with us in that they’ve been around the offence and expectations and understand conceptually what we’re doing.”

Mathews was forced out of the Ticats' 12-6 loss to the REDBLACKS on Sunday and Harris finished the final drive of the game. The 25-year-old Harris had warmed up on the sidelines during the fourth quarter of that game even before Mathews' injury. In his post-game press conference, Austin said that the quarterback position would be evaluated and that Harris could get the start.

Both pivots are preparing for the start but the pair just want to help the team win.

“It’s football. These are situations that happen no matter what level you’re playing,” said Harris. “You’re going to have to step up eventually. Eventually, the spotlight’s going to find you and you have to go out there and execute and play football.”

They each credit spending time with Zach Collaros in helping to ease them into the offensive system.

“I feel like the couple games I got in last year, just stuff that I’ve learned over time with Zach, that experience right there is invaluable as far as just learning how to manage the game and what type of game this is,” said Masoli.

“I got to sit back and watch Zach and all the guys go through different situations last year, this year,” added Harris. “The way they run the offence, the way different quarterbacks run the offence, it’s almost you can sit back and learn from mistakes, learn from the positives and soak everything in.”

Regardless of the decision, Austin still has faith in both quarterbacks to be able to execute on the field and indicated that the playbook wouldn’t change drastically with a new starter.

In an additional roster move, the team announced the signing of former Argos pivot Mitchell Gale.

Mathews took over the Ticats' starting quarterback position on Sept. 19, when Collaros suffered a torn ACL that would sideline him for the remainder of 2015. The 24-year-old rookie made his first career start the very next week in a loss to the Stampeders, and this season owns an 84.4 passer rating with six touchdowns and eight interceptions and a 66.7 per cent completion rate.

In a 12-6 loss to the REDBLACKS, the first of back-to-back games that will decide first place in the East, Mathews threw two ill-timed interceptions with the Ticats in scoring range. He finished that game with 160 passing yards on 20-of-35 passes while failing to find the end zone.

Harris, a former Miami Hurricane, has completed 10 of 17 passing attempts this season in limited action. Jeremiah Masoli has not attempted a pass in 2015.

The Ticats are playing for first in the East and a chance to host the Eastern Final on Saturday, needing to not only beat the Ottawa REDBLACKS but beat them by six or more points in order to claim the tie-breaker.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have signed international quarterback Jacory Harris and international offensive lineman Jeremy Lewis.

Harris, a 6-3, 203-pound native of Miami, Florida, spent last season with the Edmonton Eskimos following stints with the NFL’s Miami Dolphins and Philadelphia Eagles. During his four-year NCAA career at Miami, he threw for 8,826 yards and 70 touchdowns while running for 626 yards and five rushing majors.

Lewis, a 6-4, 312-pound native of West Palm Beach, Florida, previously spent time with the Toronto Argonauts and the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers after four seasons at Miami.

The Ticats also announced that national kicker/punter Brett Lauther has been moved to the practice roster and international defensive end Brandon Thurmond has been added to the six-game injured list.

The Ticats next game is Friday, July 18 when they take on the Stampeders in Calgary.

The Eskimos’ only national (formerly non-import) release was DB Shea Pierre.

Harris’ release provides some clarity to the Esks’ quarterbacking picture. Mike Reilly headlines the group as starter, while Matt Nichols, Jonathan Crompton and Pat White will head into this week’s preseason game in Regina looking to establish the remaining three spots behind the starter.

Harris, 24, spent last year on the Eskimos’ practice roster. He had the least amount of playing time of the quarterbacks on Friday night, making 0-2 passes and rushing once for four yards. One of those passes was a pretty looking fourth-quarter heave to Dell, who couldn’t hold onto the ball.

The Eskimos’ training camp continues this morning, with a Father’s Day practice in Spruce Grove from 1 to 3 p.m. An autograph session will follow.

Jacory Harris, the Miami Hurricanes product who played well in a pre-season game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders on June 14, will be on the Edmonton Eskimos’ practice roster.

The Eskimos had a choice here. Reilly was the only option to start, but through Reed’s two-plus seasons as head coach in Edmonton, Joseph and his now 10-year CFL career (and a pro career that’s entering its 17th year) have had a snake-charming sort of affect on the coach.

Experience can get you out of a jam and is great in the present, Reed has always said. Given the inexperience that comes with three young quarterbacks (Reilly is 28 with three CFL starts to his name, Crompton is 25 and Harris is 23), that charm was still there, a 39-year-old in better shape than many regular folks half his age, doing his best in training camp to pull the coach in with his soothing tune.

“We feel very confident in Mike Reilly’s ability. We feel confident in Jonathan Crompton’s ability to grow into that position as a CFL quarterback and we feel very confident in Jacory Harris’s ability, too, to mature into a very capable CFL quarterback,” Reed said. “Under the grandfathering of Kerry Joseph, we feel we have a good crew there.”

Edmonton Eskimos quarterback Jacory Harris bulls into the end zone for a touchdown while being tackled by Saskatchewan Roughriders linebacker Anthony Heygood during the third quarter of their pre-season Canadian Football League game at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. Harris who started the third quarter trucked through LB Heygood for his rushing TD after Roughrider returner Phillip Livas wasn't able to handle a Grant Shaw punt one play after the fumble.

EDMONTON - The last time the Edmonton Eskimos held practice at Commonwealth Stadium, six quarterbacks were splitting the reps.

Just five days later, that number was cut in half on Monday.

With Matt Nichols undergoing medical exams on the knee he injured in Friday’s preseason-opener and unsigned non-import prospect Austin Kennedy gone back home to Windsor where he will start for the Lancers in the CIS this fall, the Eskimos stable of arms was further reduced when Jacory Harris sat out the balmy 22C session.

“Yeah, we were a little light, but we’re a little light at all positions,” said quarterback Mike Reilly, who will start Friday’s exhibition game in Vancouver. “It’s been a long camp and you get a little heat like this and guys are out there running around.

“It was a long day and we were in our up-tempo, no-huddle mode the whole time, so guys definitely put in some good work (Monday).”

The good thing for Reilly is the fewer the quarterbacks, the less the reps have to be shared.

“Yeah, it’s getting to that point where camp is kind of winding down a little bit and we’re getting into season mode,” Reilly said. “So it’s nice to get those reps and maybe run some of the plays a little more often that you haven’t ran in the past and get some different looks.

“You’ve just got to take advantage of every rep.”

Just like Harris took advantage of resting his body in hopes of avoiding any further injury to the quarterback stable.

“It’s not a vet day for him, but he was a little sore after (Sunday’s) practice and because of that, we don’t want to risk it,” said head coach Kavis Reed. “Until we understand fully what’s going on with Matt (Nichols’s knee), we’re going to be very careful of our quarterbacks.

“It’s nothing (Harris) shouldn’t be out here (Wednesday), but we wanted to be as careful as possible with him.”

On December 17, 2012 proCanes.com reported that Jacory Harris was going to sign with the CFL Edmonton Eskimos. Jacory Harris has now officially signed an “import quarterback” contract with the Eskimos. Congrats Jacory!

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